Forgiving

Saying for the day: The hardest thing about forgiving is deciding to do it.

Whenever I write or talk about forgiving I hear how hard it is.
There is something about our nature that makes it hard for us to stop being angry or resentful. We don’t really want to forgive.
But , assuming , you do want to forgive today I am sharing some helps in doing it.
1. Decide to forgive. You have to decide you no longer wish to be angry and upset.
If you haven’t decided to work at forgiving then you wont forgive.
2. Start by praying for the person you are angry at.
Pray that God would bless them.
3. Make a mental list of all the good things that you can think of about that person.
Sometimes we are so caught up in our anger that we forget its another one of God’s children that we are angry at and that there are some good things about them.
4. Act toward them as if you have forgiven them.
Your feelings and thoughts will follow the actions.
5. Don’t expect any thanks or appreciation from the person you forgive.
Remember you are doing this for you not them.
6. Accept the person as he or she is so you don’t get angry again.
7. Ask God to help you forgive.
Now if you do these things the miracle of forgivness will take place.
You will no longer be angry with the person or persons.

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News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly free-Pastor marvel had a good sermon this morning. He said it was his every other year political sermon. He wanted people to remember that God is not a Republican or a Democrat. They need to remember that God values kindness and honesty not labels. It was important that the congregation use the freedom God has given to them and vote. He would not even try to tell them who to vote for. But he did say they should consider the character of the candidate as demonstrated all year long and not just in election sound bites.
Eino hopes that tomorrow he will hear from the FBI on the hermit. They might shed some light on the mystery.
Nancy says she is giving coffee at half price on election day to anybody who votes. She will take their word that they voted. Pigeon Falls is a pretty honest town. There is almost no crime . The only murder in as long as people can remember was of a pigeon. Lots of mysteries but not much crime . Tommy says that the way Mrs. Trumble chases that poor rabbit is a crime but that doesn’t count.
There was some excitement yesterday. The Tolfdads camp burned to the ground. It seems they were cooking some soup and it exploded. They were very lucky because nobody got hurt . There were six men in the camp at the time playing cards. Mr. Tolfdad says he was trying a new recipe he got from a blog and he forgot he wasn’t supposed to heat it. The men tried their best to put the fire out but when you have to carry water in a bucket from the lake it is almost impossible. It didn’t spread to the woods and that was one good thing.
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Today's Link-Jane Lake Makes a Mistake- Remember to put the words Dr. John in your comment to get those often wrong JCPOINTS.- Check HERE to see your totals.
Well I preached. It was great to stand in the pulpit again. It was certainly not my greatest sermon. But for one who is short on breath and whose mind is not as sharp as it once was. It was passable. My son is wotking at getting some kind of audio for the net so I can share it with those who want to hear it. My son Peter and family, and my daughter were there and my sister came all the way from Illinois to share in the moment. People were so nice. I am thankful for every single one of them. In the afternoon we spent family time and put my son to work taking the table apart. Now there is no layout and no table. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA